A/N: Just a little treat for late-Halloween while also writing my The Last Of Us fic which the next chapter should be up this weekend. This goes off the timeline of the game, somewhere between the point that Jodie is still little and the point where she is taken to Nathans lab. Also, Middle School kids do party like this - I have first hand experience. This takes a bit of the storyline from The Party into it, only with more repercussions. Please enjoy and tell me what you think.
Bad Halloween
Jodie stood at the doorstep of her neighbor Mrs. Fitzgerald's house, hoping and preying that it would be the old woman who comes to the door instead of her grandson. Billy Fitzgerald should be out trick or treating, but knowing him he's probably laying in wait to torment Jodie more than usual.
Most of the time its just words, anything other than that has Aiden reacting and not so nicely at that. Billy learned his lesson two years when he and a few other boys started rough housing with Jodie at the base Day Camp, calling her names that her Mommy had later told her were horrible things to say to a little girl. The first time Billy put his hands on Jodie was the last - Aiden made sure of it.
But she can't stop from being nervous. This is her first Halloween out on her own and she knows the neighborhood kids aren't fond of her. Most of them try to avoid her, save a few lost souls like herself who seem to cling to the fringes of normal society. There's a difference between them though; Jodie has Aiden, and they have sanity. Its as simple as that, even among the outcasts Jodie herself is one.
Thankfully its Mrs. Fitzgerald who opens the door, smiling wide through a Witch's mask and holding aloft a broom in her hands. She looks kindly though, with her warm honey eyes and delicate features. Jodie smiles her own costume, which is Little Red Riding Hood, seeming almost ironic in this situation.
"Trick or Treat," Jodie says, holding up her plastic candy bucket.
"Oh, how darling. I didn't think you were going to be trick or treating this year Jodie!" Mrs. Fitzgerald grabs a handful of candy from the bucket that sits atop an end table set by the door. Its a massive amount, and somehow Jodie feels all the more saddened by this. She hasn't been trick or treating since two years ago with Mommy, and that had been a complete disaster. Now the neighbors give her extra candy when she comes around. Jodie knows she should be happy about that - it is free candy after all, but somehow she still feels all the more bad about it.
"Are you all alone dear? Maybe you could go along with Billy and Andrew, they haven't left yet." 'no, no, no, anything but that. Think of a way to get out of this!' Jodie thinks to herself, feeling an agitated pulse resonate from the faint line connecting herself to Aiden. "Oh no I don't think he'd want me tagging along." Jodie replies sheepishly, trying her hardest to keep the horror from showing. It's been a while since she last saw any of her neighborhood peers, since Mommy got her a private at home teacher. Even though she sometimes see's them through the cracks in her fence, she never says anything to them anymore. Not since the time Aiden nearly choked a boy out for rubbing a snowball in her face; she almost couldn't stop him in time, the boy almost died.
"Nonsense Jodie! They would love your company, come in darling." Without any allowance of a response old Mrs. Fitzgerald practically drags Jodie in by the sleeves of her red hood, smiling all the more kindly as she crosses over the threshold into the warmth of a decorated home. Her eyes are drawn immediately to the living room, where the TV blares an old classic horror movie that her Mommy didn't want her to watch. Her ears quickly catching the sound of deep laughter. Jodie considers running as the hum of electric anger from Aiden becomes a steady buzzing in brain. "Don't do anything, please." She whispers under her breath. Dejected, she follows behind the homely old woman to the living room, and into the view of her tormenters.
Time seems to stop, frozen by the air of awkwardness and curiosity. Billy has grown, more than Jodie thought he would in Two years. He barely hangs out with the neighborhood kids anymore, seeing as he is older and only likes hanging out with Andrew Bennett or Starr Madison (His Girlfriend.) He towers over her, a daunting display of muscle and chiseled features. He's only in middle school, but looks like he could pass easily for a highschooler. But, the look on his face is not of the usual Malice, only a blank stare and a half smile that seems nearly genuine. His eyes reflecting the same sparkle of warm honey as his grandmothers. His costume is some sort of superhero - or so Jodie assumes by the green spandex, though she knows very little about superheroes.
Andrew however sneers at the sight of her, his green eyes reflecting deep seated bias towards the little girl. Jodie's parents never got along with Andrew's parents, so there was always tension amongst the two neighboring families. He contrasts greatly against his Best Friend, with wild blonde hair and green eyes set in a narrow face and a tall gangly body, he is dressed up like a different Superhero, or maybe a villain.
"William dear," Mrs. Fitzgerald starts, "You remember Jodie Holmes right, I thought it would be a wonderful idea if she could go with you and Andrew around the neighborhood, the poor dear is all alone."
If Jodie hadn't wanted to shrink to the size of dust before she did now at the look that crosses Andrews face. Billy on the other hand seems to think about it for a while, then shrugs in a way he's known for. "Sure, whatever." He answers, ignoring his scowling best friend.
"Wonderful!" Mrs. Fitzgerald claps her hands together, wide toothy smile and sparkling eyes oblivious to the pure terror running through Jodie's brain. Why her? And why can't she just say she doesn't want to do this! 'I'm a coward' she tells herself, 'This isn't going to end well, I just know it.' "I'll leave you three to it then." Says the old woman as she excuses herself to answer the call of another Trick or Treater, leaving Jodie to stand awkwardly in the middle of the living room with the two boys she doesn't quite know how to talk to.
Aiden makes the nearby coffee table shake, his feelings similar to Jodie's own. He doesn't want her being around these goons. They could hurt her, whether with words or hands, Aiden wouldn't care which to be honest. "We should get going," Billy says suddenly, breaking Jodie's panicky thoughts up. She stares for a long moment, mostly empty bucket weighing nothing in her hands. Andrew scoffs, but agrees. While Jodie can only stand there in numbed silence.
Billy leads the way, making it clear as he walks by Jodie that she is to follow him. Maybe Billy has changed? She doubts it heavily but his actions are nothing like the petulant fourth grader she knew two years ago. For the next thirty minutes the two boys do nothing but talk to each other, seeming to just ignore Jodie as she trails a few feet behind them.
Jodie takes time to reflect on how much she actually dislikes Halloween, sure, she likes getting candy but Halloween itself is a night that she generally doesn't like. Mostly because of the fake ghosts and monsters that people decorate their houses with. Jodie knows real monsters...and the ones of people's porches are a crude mockery of the truly terrifying ones.
There aren't many houses lit up this year so they walk down the next block over - seemingly for more trick or treating until Jodie notices that they haven't stopped at any of the lit up houses.
"Where are we going?" She pipes up, not wanting to be led into some sort of trap. Her voice wavers with suspicion. Without answering her own question Billy asks his own, "Can you still do those things?" Jodie isn't exactly sure what he's talking about, until she feels Aiden shifting around her. Oh..."Um...Yes," She answers, unsure of the reasons behind his asking. He smiles then, looking over to Andrew whose face reflects the same - yet ultimately more creepy - smile plastered on his face. "Have you ever been to a big kid party?" Billy asks.
Jodie shakes her head, feeling suddenly much smaller than before. Is that where they are going? A big kid party? Of course. She can feel the trouble already brewing in the air. "Good, your going to one now, no argument." Andrew's tone doesn't imply any sort of anger, but his eyes sure do reflect trouble. Jodie swallows her instincts to run back in the other direction and continues to follow them down to the end house; Starr Madison's house is always the most brightly lit and decorated house each year, reflecting the personality of the ditzy brunette and her former Hippie parents.
Starr meets them at the door, looking none to thrilled that her boyfriend has brought a tag along. Billy leans forward to whisper something in her ear, and suddenly she smiles at Jodie, too cheerfully to be a real smile. "Come in, Come in!" She ushers Jodie in, leading her from the doorway through a throng of bodies and towards the living room. Jodie feels enclosed in this space, ear drums ready to rupture from the volume of the music and the pounding of her own heart in her ears. Starr leads her to the living room, which is surprisingly less packed than the rest of the house. Starr switches off the music, ignoring the protests all around.
But Billy and Andrew are also ushering people into the living room, making it suddenly more packed. Jodie isn't claustrophobic but this could easily make her. She looks up at Starr, unknowing of what's going on but a cloth is passed over her eyes. Aiden goes on high alert then, as Jodie is forcefully moved to the center of the room with the blindfold over her eyes. She fights to get out of Starr's grasp, but the girl digs her sharp fingernails into Jodie's shoulder.
"Now Jodie, we want a demonstration of those freaky powers, and if we don't get that demonstration..." Starr digs her fingernails deeper into Jodie's skin, eliciting a yelp from the young girl. Aiden springs up, suddenly a flaring bolt of anger at the girl. The sound of a nearby table crashing turns everyone's head. Cups of beer squandered from older siblings and a plate of cookies crash to the floor. "Bullshit, she didn't do that!" Some kid calls from the crowd. Starr laughs, eerily in her ear and leaves Jodie's side.
She doesn't know what's happening until the older girl returns with something else sharp, and starts hurting Jodie to get reactions from Aiden. And he does, but defiantly not in the way the older kids were expecting. He locks the doors and windows, going crazy in the room. He knocks tables and chairs over, cups and picture frames flying. He shatters the light bulb from the ceiling fan and plunges the room into darkness. Some kids scream while others fly towards the locked doors. Jodie feels him remove the cloth from her eyes, and though its dark she can make out the shape of scared kids trying to flee from the room. Jodie is angry, but she isn't this angry to inflict Aiden's wrath.
He keeps going though, breaking the TV and any glass he can find that isn't the windows. He finds a lighter left out on a coffee table and lights up the drapes, casting an orange glow over the room. That's when the real panic starts. "Aiden stop!" Jodie pleads, watching him zip around the room in a rage, destroying everything he finds and not caring that kids are getting hurt because of it. "Make it stop Jodie!" Billy shouts, wide eyes filled with fear and panic. She sweats from the heat of the nearby flame, feeling helpless and small. "Aiden stop!" She shouts again, still watching her Entity flit about the room, now knocking kids over as he's run out of things to trash. The fire has gotten brighter, and bigger. It catches onto the end of Jodie's red hood and burns the back of her leg.
That's when Aiden stops, dousing the fire and shielding Jodie from the rest of what's happened. The noises must have attracted the neighbors attention, because the sounds of nearing sirens filter through the air. Kids still panic, more worried for their lives then for the fact that they will obviously get in trouble here. "Aiden, please let them out." Jodie sobs, fat tears running from her eyes down her face. Aiden does, unblocking the door from the other side and allowing the throng of kids to escape the room - a few don't, too badly burned now to move. Jodie stares at them in shocked, watching them freak out as the fire spreads. Aiden puts those fires out too, but the kids lay still on the rug, unmoving.
Jodie vomits. Her eyes going black, and her mind a whirl of emotion. "Get me out of here," She whispers to Aiden, still crying heavily and wishing this night would have never happened. Why did she even have to go out in the first place?
Later, after Aiden manages to sneak her away from the eyes of police they return home, bypassing Mommy and running straight up the stairs and to her room. Jodie sheds herself of the nights transgressions and curls up on her bed, sobbing into her knees that are pulled up to her chest. Aiden floats Bunny Gruff over to her, his presence comforting now. Even though he can't talk, she can somewhat understand his thoughts. "I'm sorry Jodie," Is what he would say if he had a mouth to say it.
"I'm sorry."